
Police worker gets final warning over handling of 999 call before four deaths
The four were all found inside a property in Allan Bedford Crescent in Costessey, Norfolk.
Post-mortem examinations recorded that all four died of neck wounds.
The deaths of the two girls and their aunt were being treated as murder, while the death of Mr Kuczynski was not being treated as suspicious.
Norfolk Police said officers were not looking for anyone else in connection with the killings.
Four people were found dead inside the property near Norwich (Joe Giddens/ PA)
The force had received a 999 call from Mr Kuzcynski on the morning of January 19 but officers were not deployed to the address until an hour later when police were called by a concerned dog walker, watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.
In an audio recording of the call, Mr Kuczynski said: 'I am walking with the knife, I have just lost the plot.'
Mr Kuczynski expressed concerns about his own mental state and said he was confused.
The call handler advised him to seek medical advice and police did not attend the property as a result of the call.
When questioned as part of the IOPC investigation, the call handler said he did not hear the word 'knife' and would have acted differently had he done so.
The call handler was initially suspended but returned to work following a review and was put on restricted duties.
Norfolk Police said on Friday that a member of staff had been given a final written warning following a misconduct investigation into the handling of the 999 call.
The force said in a statement: 'The IOPC investigation concluded the call handler had a case to answer for misconduct based on their handling of the call and failing to record their risk assessment in their decision-making.
'The force accepted this conclusion, and a misconduct meeting was held on June 26 2025 where the chair determined misconduct to be proven and issued a final written warning for 12 months.'
The misconduct meeting was not held in public.
Norfolk Police said that the worker remains employed by the force as a member of police staff, and is no longer on restricted duties.
A full inquest into the deaths is anticipated to take place in 2026 pending the completion of a Domestic Homicide Review.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
Death of woman in police custody in Portsmouth investigated
The death of a woman in custody is being investigated by the police watchdog,The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said Claire Charlton, 37, died at the Police Investigation Centre in Portsmouth on 10 had been arrested in Watford by Hertfordshire Constabulary officers two days IOPC said it was investigating following a mandatory referral from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. It said Ms Charlton was arrested on 8 July in Watford in relation to offences allegedly committed in was taken to the custody suite at Hatfield before being transferred into the custody of Hampshire police and taken to a custody suite in Portsmouth, where she was charged and remanded in custody to appear in court on 10 about 02:00 BST on 10 July, custody staff found Ms Charlton unresponsive in her cell. She was given CPR and paramedics were called but was pronounced dead a short time IPOC said it had begun investigating police contact with Ms Charlton between 8 and 10 July, including the checks made on her while in custody and the medical advice provided by healthcare professionals."As part of our investigation, we have secured CCTV footage from the custody suite and are also reviewing custody logs. We are also obtaining statements from the relevant custody staff involved from both police forces," it IOPC said a post-mortem examination was completed on 11 July and it was awaiting the results of further testing. The coroner has been informed and an inquest into Ms Charlton's death has been opened and adjourned until June 2026, while the circumstances surrounding her death are investigated. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.


BBC News
12 hours ago
- BBC News
Motorcyclist, 50s, dies following Hevingham collision
A motorcyclist has died following a collision which left a road closed for more than seven hours. Norfolk Police said it was called to the A140 Cromer Road in Hevingham when a black Vauxhall Astra collided with a white and black Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 motorbike at about 14:10 BST on force said the road was closed while emergency services, including the ambulance and air ambulance, attended the site and the road reopened at about 21:20. The rider, a man in his 50s, died at the scene. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.


BBC News
18 hours ago
- BBC News
Family urge new IOPC probe over restrained man's death
The police watchdog is being urged to conduct another investigation into officers' handling of a man who died hours after being restrained during a mental health Fletcher, 26, died in hospital in Nottingham on 3 July 2022 after a police welfare check escalated into a decision to section investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) - carried out before an inquest into Mr Fletcher's death - found police actions were "reasonable and proportionate". However, Mr Fletcher's family want the IOPC to take further action after an inquest jury in July concluded "gross failings" by Nottinghamshire Police and others involved contributed to his death. Nathaniel Ameyaw, Mr Fletcher's father, said: "It took for a jury to uncover things, uncover failings that the IOPC should have done."Our hope is that they will investigate again and take a thorough look at the police's policies, procedures, what they should have done, what they didn't do - because it wasn't thorough." Mr Fletcher was diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder in 2020 and had struggled with a drug were called to his accommodation, at young people's charity YMCA, to carry out a welfare check on 3 July 2022 following concerns he would harm agreeing to be taken to hospital by the officers, Mr Fletcher suddenly changed his mind, no longer believing they were really was then detained under the Mental Health Fletcher was handcuffed, struck and restrained for about 30 minutes by numerous officers. Eventually an ambulance arrived, and he was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre, where he had been called to the home of Mr Fletcher's mother the day before his death, as he was experiencing another "mental health disturbance".It was discussed then that he should be sectioned and taken to a place of safety - a decision his family under the guidance of a community nurse, Mr Fletcher was taken back to his accommodation with no further condition deteriorated overnight and led to the police welfare check that started the chain of events leading to his death. Investigation report Nottinghamshire Police made a referral to the IOPC on 3 July 2022, and the watchdog said it made a decision to investigate on the same day. The investigation examined police contact with Mr Fletcher on the morning he died, as well as the previous day when they were called to his mother's also considered complaints raised by the family about consideration of his mental health, officers' use of force restraining him and an allegation he was treated differently because he was IOPC's final report was completed in April 2024 and was shared with the coroner and Mr Fletcher's family to assist with the findings were only made public after the inquest had watchdog found "no evidence" of a criminal offence or behaviour that justified disciplinary added there was no evidence supporting the allegation of less favourable treatment of Mr Fletcher. Mr Fletcher's cause of death was recorded as "the physical effects of exertion following a period of restraint, combined with the cocaine and other substances". After a four-week inquest, the jury concluded the level of restraint used by the officers was "appropriate" but found their combined force was "uncontrolled".The jury said there was "ineffective communication" at the scene and a "lack of clear leadership".They added police should have considered the length of time Mr Fletcher was kept in restraints and concluded there was a "gross failure" in training across all agencies involved. The inquest heard how, under a joint policy between police and East Midlands Ambulance Service, officers at the scene should have called for an ambulance. However, an ambulance was not called for until after the initial period of restraint. Police giving evidence at the inquest told the jury they were unaware of the policy. 'Still fighting for answers' Mr Ameyaw said he was comforted by the jury's findings and felt they had seen what had happened "the way [he] saw it".The 49-year-old added: "After my son passed, we had no choice but to put our faith in the IOPC. "They came and met with us as a family. They came to our home and they assured us that they were going to do a thorough investigation. "They were the ones that had access to the body-worn footage, they were the ones that were going to give us the answers." But Mr Ameyaw said: "As a family we are still fighting for answers and it's very difficult." Derrick Campbell, IOPC regional director, said: "We have acknowledged the narrative verdict returned by the inquest jury and respect their findings. "I reiterate my deepest sympathies for Kaine's family and friends for their loss. This is a truly tragic case in which a young man lost his life."Our investigation involved a detailed examination of the evidence, including calls made to police, police incident logs, police radio communication, police officers' body worn video, officers' training records, CCTV, and medical reports. "We also obtained witness accounts from all parties involved, including independent witnesses, police officers, and ambulance staff."Nottinghamshire Police previously said it would reflect on the findings the coroner made and continued to take "all the necessary steps to keep the public and our workforce safe". If you've been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.